Page 54 of Dancing With Demons
Instead, I find Ulsrath’s eyes in the crowd, giving him a small smile. I know it’ll drive both Tolmond and Eth’tak insane, but I don’t care. Right now, he’s the only person who seems to actually care about me. If the King banishes me, I can at least rest assured that I’ll be able to say a goodbye to him, however brief.
The King straightens in his chair, preparing to address the crowd, and the silence between those gathered grows tense, everyone leaning forward in anticipation of what’s to come.
“Piper,” King Asmodeus rumbles. My name on those unseen lips sends chill dread slithering down my spine, but I clamp down hard on the emotion, refusing to let my fear show.
“My King,” I acknowledge, bowing again.
“The time has come for you to serve your purpose.”
I school my face into a mask of neutrality, standing tall and silent before the King. My purpose? What purpose?
Realization washes over me as everything seems to fall into place. I had wondered why Tolmond and Eth’tak brought me here, but refused to dive too deeply into the why. Neither one of them had fully explained it to me, chalking up my sudden rescue from Camp Life as being due to my abilities with chaos magic.
They lied to me.
I tuck my thumb into my palm the way Tolmond taught me, refusing to allow the tears I feel welling to become visible to anyone in the crowd, least of all the two of them. This only confirms what their actions in the past day have made me suspect- they never really cared about me.
I was only ever brought here because the King commanded it.
“Your unusual abilities set you apart from the rest of the human women on Ti’lith,” The King continues, oblivious or apathetic to my world shattering, I can’t tell. “As such an unusual creature, and given that your human nature makes you an ideal candidate for breeding, you are hereby betrothed to Prince Lamian.”
My vision fades at the corners, and a dull roaring fills my ears.
Betrothed?
Prince?
Time slows as the King raises a hand toward a towering demon beside him, who steps forward and gives me a bored cursory glance. Cold radiates from the demon, Prince Lamian, the very air around him dense with entitlement.
It’s all I can do not to collapse to the ground. My knees wobble as I try to reign in my emotions, everything hitting me all at once.
I love Tolmond. I love Eth’tak. I can’t marry anyone else- I belong tomydemons, not some coddled prince. My shock quickly gives way to a helpless rage as I look at Tolmond and Eth’tak, both of their faces slack as they look between me, Prince Lamian, and the King.
They knew. Theyknewthat the King was going to do this, and yet they never told me.
They let me believe that they loved me, or at least cared for me, and now they’re going to hand me over to be used like breeding stock.
“Betrothed?” My voice sounds distant even to my own ears. Something dark and powerful rolls beneath my skin as I look between Prince Lamian and the King, unable to take on the apathy I’ve worn like a coat of armor since meeting with the King.
“You are to be united at once. Your abilities, your blood, blending with the royal bloodline will most assuredly yield a powerful generation to one day take the throne.”
Lamian rolls his eyes over the King’s shoulders. My voice abandons me as I simply stare at the prince, the crowd breaking into a careful smattering of applause at the announcement of my engagement.
My engagement.
A small, careful set of hands is on my shoulders, turning me away from the King. I catch Ulsrath’s eyes as I’m turned away, horror written on his face as he looks at me. At least someone seems to feel the same way I do- Tolmond and Eth’tak are still just standing there, blank-faced and useless.
Although I suppose this is no surprise to them.
I tear my eyes from the crowd and to the person leading me away to find the zonak from earlier guiding me away from the crowd. Something apologetic lingers in his eyes, though the rest of his face is carefully smoothed into apathy.
With every step we take, the roaring in my ears grows louder.
Betrothed. To Prince Lamian. The words ring between my ears but my mind can’t seem to make sense of them. Everything is as it was moments ago, the courtyard flanking the familiar tower, the familiar trappings of the place I’ve grown to consider my home, and yet everything is different.
Nothing will ever be the same.
“STOP!” A familiar voice roars over my shoulder. I whirl toward the sound, burgeoning hope filling the gaps in my ribs as Tolmond breaks through the crowd.